CHARLES CHRISTIAN’s LEGAL TECHNOLOGY iNSIDER THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO WHAT’S HOT (AND WHAT’S NOT) IN LAW OFFICE SYSTEMS LAW FIRM RAM RAIDING BECOMING AN EPIDEMIC IN INTERNET In a new report, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) suggests the overall impact IN THIS FIRST of computer crime, including the theft – EDITIONÉ As more and more lawyers focus their or ‘filleting’ – of valuable components attention on the Internet as a way of such as memory and processor chips – marketing their practices, a firm in may be costing British businesses as • Is voice mail now London’s New Bond Street has taken much as five times more than originally affordable… 3 the process one step further. thought. Thanks to sponsorship by the According to the ABI, during 1995 • “Computerise or Internet Services Group of Jeffrey Green insurance claims relating to computer die.” Ian Walker Russell (which includes a major Internet theft came to just over £200million. How- talks about case service provider among its clients) the ever when other uninsured losses such management… 4 Ernest Bevin School in South London as lost business opportunities and has become the first state school in the reduced customer service are taken into • Unix on a laptop, UK to establish its own site on the Inter- account, the true cost to industry is esti- US lawyers say net’s World Wide Web (WWW) pages. mated to be much higher – perhaps total- why it can make Although the school – which has ling as much as £1billion a year. sense… 6 been teaching computer studies since the The ABI goes on to say that early 1980s – plans in due course to despite an easing in chip shortages, far take over the development of its own from being on the wane, computer thefts pages, the current sponsorship deal takes are increasing faster than any other type the form of both financial assistance with of crime. ABI deputy director general Tony the set-up and running costs, as well as Baker also warns that “constant techno- technical help on the creation of the Web logical changes and increasing demand CHANCERY site at http://www.potomac.com/JGR/ for computer equipment mean that this LANE TO ernestbevin/ crime will continue to rise unless busi- ACT In the autumn of 1994 Jeffrey nesses urgently review their security pre- Green Russell was the first solicitors cautions and upgrade them if necessary.” Sources report the practice in the UK to establish its own The ABI believes one problem is Law Society in WWW site and the firm believes the many organisations “simply do not realise London is finalis- Ernest Bevin project represents another how attractive their equipment is to ing a new “more ‘first’ in terms of legal sponsorship. thieves and under-estimate the devasta- proactive” strategy Commenting on why the Internet ting impact which its loss can have on to help members Services Group agreed to sponsor the the business.” The ABI has commenced a select and acquire school, senior partner Mr Clive Whitfield- campaign to alert business to the risks computer techno- Jones said: “The firm has always had a and suggest ways hardware suppliers can logy. More details strong commitment to human resources make their products more secure. in the next edition. development and technology. As a society Meanwhile LTi sources report a we are moving into a digital era and ‘top 40’ City of London firm in the Fleet Internet access will open up new Street area is among the latest legal opportunities to the school’s pupils.” ❐ practices to have been raided. ❐ Issue No 7 ❶ 29 January 1996 LEGAL TECHNOLOGY iNSIDER NEWS ➧ VIEWS ➧ MOVES ➧ DEALS ➧ DATA LASERFORM ➦ the Probate Plus package for handling CONFIRMS the accounting side of probate and the administration of estates. KESTREL DEAL Since the software was launched Electronic legal forms specialist Laser- in January 1994, it has been installed in form Law has now released further de- nearly 50 firms, varying in size from sole PPS TO tails of its acquisition of the Kestrel practitioners to larger City of London REVIVE Solicitors Accounts software package firms. One of the latest orders came from MAC-LAW from the David Salway/Graham Irwin Simmons & Simmons, while Nick Buck- Macintosh legal partnership (☞ see Issue No 6 for initial man of Kingsley Napley and a founder software specialists report). member of the Society for Trust & Estate Professional Pro- The package will continue to be Practitioners (STEP) is another keen user. ductivity Solutions available in DOS and Windows versions David Stonehouse, who also uses managing director and has now been amended so as to be the software in his own practice, says it is Nicholas McFarlane compatible with Microsoft’s Access data- particularly satisfying to see that it is pri- Watts (incidentally base. It is capable of handling up to 99 marily fee earners who use Probate Plus. a practising solici- fee earners and virtually unlimited clients Currently only available on DOS, tor) is to revive the and matters, as well as offering full office Law Systems are working on a Windows MacLaw associa- accounting, including bank reconcilia- upgrade to Probate Plus based on Delphi tion for lawyers tion and client accounting, including in- and a Borland Paradox database. A and legal acade- terest calculation. release date is not yet available but mics interested in The product’s pricing has been Stonehouse plans to offer the Windows exchanging news changed, with a new entry-level price of version as a free upgrade to Probate Plus and views about £650 (down from £750) for a single-user users on an annual maintenance con- the use of the PC, followed by £999 for a 5 user licence, tract. In the meantime free demonstration Apple Mac. Anyone £1499 for a 10 user licence and thereafter disks of the DOS product are available. ❐ interested should £400 for each additional 5 user licence up call ☎ 01865- to a maximum of 50 users. 201801. Manual time recording via a time- BAR SYSTEM UPGRADE sheet is included in the base price how- Following a change in Crown Prosecution ☞ Meanwhile ever on-line time recording is available at Service rules, whereby barristers instruc- speculation an extra cost of £50 per user. And, free ted by the CPS are now required to sub- continues to demonstration disks are available from mit lists of outstanding fees for payment surround the Laserform Law (☎ 01565-755154). rather than use the traditional fee note, future of Apple Turning to the future, a full 32 bit Applied Computer Expertise (☎ 0171- Computer, the Windows 95 version of Kestrel is under 404 5577), the leading supplier of cham- company that development, as is the full integration of bers’ administration software, has deve- developed the Kestrel with Microsoft’s Office and Novell’s loped an enhancement to its Infinity sys- Macintosh system. PerfectOffice suites. The suites integration tem to automate this task. Case names, Latest reports sug- should be available April. ❐ reference numbers and other details can gest Apple’s Silicon now be abstracted from Infinity’s files to Valley neighbour produce a report tailored to meet CPS Sun Microsystems MUST BE DOING IT RIGHT requirements. is now actively “We must be doing something right, after One of the first sets to try the new involved in take- two years, we are still in business and program was Furnival Chambers in Hol- over negotiations. still winning new orders,” is how Hine born, where according to senior clerk Stonehouse & Barrington partner David John Gutteridge: “Many hours have been Stonehouse describes his experiences saved in not having to manually compile with Law Systems Ltd (☎ 01326- the required data, which can now be 317529), the Falmouth-based software made available in minutes and the list house he set up to develop and market ➥ updated each time the report is done.” ❐ Issue No 7 ❷ 29 January 1996 LEGAL TECHNOLOGY iNSIDER NEWS ➧ VIEWS ➧ MOVES ➧ DEALS ➧ DATA VOICE MAIL – NOW ➦ departments. However for some smal- AFFORDABLE ler practices, it could well be a cost effec- tive way of providing a round the clock, TECHNOLOGY ? 365 days a year switchboard service. Although the concept of voice mail – Also, as one of the options is to RECORD arguably a rather grandiose name for have a dedicated CallCatchers number, RESULTS what in effect is a personalised tele- this could be an attractive option for sole FOR DEC phone answering machine – has been practitioners or criminal lawyers who After a traumatic around for a number of years, the po- don’t want to give clients their home couple of years, tentially enormous capital outlay (one numbers for out of hours calls. which saw drastic set of barristers’ chambers in the restructuring on a Temple paid over £1400 per handset) ☞ Technical Note… Although there are global basis, the has not surprisingly hindered its ac- minor set-up charges, the basic CallCat- Digital Equipment ceptance. However Cheshire-based Call chers service costs from as little as £4.99 Corporation has Catchers believe they have devised an a month. The service can also be set up signalled a return approach that makes the technology in such a way that subscribers can either to financial health more commercially attractive… call the service to collect messages or by reporting record Just as high capital costs deterred have CallCatchers call them periodically. quarterly revenues the first generation of computer users For details call the 24 hour information and strong profit from buying their own systems and line (☎ 01625-862000) or check the Inter- growth. Digital say turned them towards using bureau ser- net site at http://www.sirius.co.uk ❐ a key factor has vices instead, so Sirius Voice Systems – been the growing the company behind the CallCatchers demand for its high service – is effectively offering voice mail NEW APPRAISAL SYSTEM performance Alpha on a bureau basis.